Many in Florida are hunkering down as Hurricane Milton makes its way across the state.
Some who did not evacuate said it would be a sleepless night as the storm passed.
"I've lived here for 22 years; this is the worst I've ever seen," said Mark O'Hara of St. Petersburg. We're experiencing the worst right now."
O'Hara said as Milton passed through it sounded like a tornado.
"Very loud tornado, but it's coming around on all sides of your house," he said. "When the gusts pick up, it sounds like a freight train."
This is the second hurricane O'Hara and others in the region have experienced in recent weeks. Before Milton's landfall, Hurricane Helene passed through the Southeast, leaving thousands of neighborhoods destroyed.
Sam Rose of Oldsmar, Fla., said her family didn't evacuate when Helene passed through, but after seeing how close the water got to their home, they decided not to risk it with Milton.
Local
"This one, just looking at the trajectory, there were just so many factors that were coming toward us, and plus we just had one a few weeks ago. There was no way we were going to risk it," Rose said. "It was terrifying a few weeks ago seeing that water. There was no way I was going to put us through that again."
Bernadette Cochran of Sarasota said the only things on her mind tonight are her loved ones, her cat, and her home. She is currently in Monterrey visiting family.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
"I love that area. It's my home, and I have a lot of loved ones there. My work is there, and my life is there, and I feel a little helpless here," she said.
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday night that an additional 70 California-based firefighters deployed to assist with search and rescue efforts.
Some California crews are already in the area, including a task force based in Menlo Park.
"The priority for this team is going to be life safety and rescue efforts," said Jonathan Johnston, the division chief of the Menlo Park Fire Protection District. "So wherever the team is requested, they will be going down and searching for life."
